


Bloom in Wake

by kirichuuus



Series: Cycle [2]
Category: The Night Manager (TV), Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Breeding, Crime Lord Jonathan Pine, Crimes & Criminals, Daddy Dom Jonathan Pine, Daddy Kink, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Gangs, Guns, Humor, Illegal Activities, Mental Health Issues, Murder, Older Man/Younger Woman, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possessive Jonathan Pine, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Jonathan Pine, Romance, Smoking, Spies, The Night Manager post 2016, Vaginal Sex, angela burr is still best mom, the night manager canon divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:35:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29690286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirichuuus/pseuds/kirichuuus
Summary: Katie O'Connor wakes up after two years from the attack she suffered in Tokyo. Things have changed for the worse and now it is up to her to clean up the mess she is a part of.
Relationships: Jonathan Pine/Original Female Character(s), Jonathan Pine/Reader, Jonathan Pine/You
Series: Cycle [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2180910
Kudos: 3





	1. Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So here is the sequel to Flowers in Blood. I originally was gonna end Flowers in Blood at 30 chapters but then my brain went, brrrrrrrrrrr no do more. So I did. Please enjoy this first chapter!

It had only been Katie’s first week back up on her feet and already she felt exhausted and ready to go back to sleep for another two years. The training she had been doing was taking a toll on her body, but she had to get better as soon as possible. She couldn’t just sit around and let the world burn. Katie let out a loud sigh as her body swayed while holding a pole on the subway train she rode. The gym that was still available, and that Angela recommended, was a bit away from Katie’s flat. Walking in the streets with the Poppy Riots terrorizing citizens was definitely out of the question. Even on the train, around 20-50 guards stood around, guns at the ready in case one of the rioters or otherwise tried anything funny. Children cowered behind their mothers at the sight of the large guns that were constantly in their faces. 

“Did you hear about the bombing attack last night?” 

“Yeah, around 200 dead.” 

“Jesus-” 

“Quiet! There is to be no speaking on the train unless you want a ticket.” A guard silenced the whispers and gossipers. Strict regulations had also been put in place while Katie was asleep and though it seemed rather unfair, it was reasonable to an extent. 

Rolling her eyes, Katie clicked through her phone, deleting all old messages and texts. She was almost done when she came across one from Jonathan back when they were in Japan. Katie didn’t remember ever getting this message so she put her wireless earbuds in to listen to it. 

**_“Katie- It’s me. You probably don’t want to talk to me at the moment but I’m sorry. I am so sorry for hurting you and I-I’m just.”_** There was a brief pause as if he was hesitant how to word his next sentence. **_“When I am around you, I feel like an idiot in love. Because that’s what I am, actually.”_** He gives a dry chuckle, causing Katie to chuckle softly herself. **_“This is such a piss poor confession after all the shit I’ve put you through. I’m not leading you on anymore or going to play games or run away from how I feel. I…”_** Katie wanted to hear more, desperate to hear him say those three words and she gripped her phone tightly. **_“Just call me back and let me know you’re ok. Please.”_**

That was it, the end of the message. “Typical, Pine.” She mutters under her breath and shakes her head softly, fighting back tears. For the remainder of the trip, Katie listened to that voice message over and over. She missed him so much and hearing his voice was comforting to her. At least she knew now that he did feel the same way as she did even if it was a piss poor confession as he so put it. This only added to her resolve of wanting to get to him as fast as she could. She just hoped that it wasn’t too late… 

Finally, she was able to get off that cramped, claustrophobia inducing nightmare of a subway train. Too many people squished in all at once; it sort of reminded her of the Japanese shinkansen. On her way to the gym, she noticed wandering eyes following her and heard mutters about her body. Katie was not going to put up with this bullshit anymore and turned on her heel, giving the two men a death glare. 

“You think you can scare us, poppet? You’s just a little lassie!” One of them taunts, puffing his chest out to make himself look bigger. 

Katie’s eye twitched slightly at the usage of the word ‘poppet’ and she opened her mouth to say something, but decided these goons weren’t worth her time. She had business to do and her body to reshape, she wasn’t about to squabble with some man children. 

“I was talking to you, bitch!” The same man grabs her by the shoulder and yanks her back. “There aint’ no fuzz to help you either! This is a criminal world now.” 

The brunette glances over her shoulder, her fear of men starting to creep in again. “I don’t need the police!” She sucked up her cowardice and twisted in the man’s grip, swinging her fist directly into his face. Once her hit landed, she jerked her shoulder back and saw the other man charge forth. “I don’t have time for you!” She ducked under his throw, hooking herself onto the arm meant to attack her and popping it out of place. Katie panted, staring down at the two worms and sneered. “Stay away from me, unless you want seconds.” She cracks her neck and makes her way to the gym. 

Thankfully, the facility was rather empty and only had a few people working out. It was nice and quiet for her to stretch and do her workouts. Katie knew that she would be feeling that swing she gave that one guy earlier as she had been out of practice with combat. It was a miracle that she even remembered any of her initial training. As she stretched, she caught a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye; however, it wasn’t someone she wanted to see at all. 

“Look who’s awake from hibernation! Took you about two years but you still look great-” 

“Where is he?” Katie slammed Roper up against the wall, her nostrils flared in anger. 

Richard raises his hands to show that he was unarmed but snaps his fingers. A red dot appears on Katie’s shoulder and forces her to release him. “Not even a hello? A thank you for saving my life? Nice to finally meet you in person, Katelyn O’Connor. Jonathan has told me a lot about you-” 

“Cut the chat, Roper! I know that you love to run your mouth so why don’t you tell me where Jonathan is!” She snarls. 

The crime lord sighs loudly and places his hand on the young woman’s back, leading her to a more private area. “Too many eyes staring, you never know who is working for who anymore. Now, I’m not here to play telephone between you and your lover boy but to give you a warning.” He pauses and frowns a little, “He isn’t so much a boy anymore since he just turned 40-” 

“Alright! I-I get it.” Her cheeks turn a soft pink. “What do you want, Roper? If it’s you offering me to work for you, forget it.” 

“Do you think I’d really want someone like  _ you  _ working under my wing? You wouldn’t be able to understand half of the shit involved with what we do as men. Women make such-” He paused and grinned at her unamused expression from his sexist comment. “Anyways!” He pulls out a box of cigarettes and offers one to her. 

Katie waved the cigarette out of her face and shook her head, “No thank you.” She mutters, folding her arms across her chest and looking at him, waiting for an answer. 

“Right, no pleasantries, just business. All of Angela’s agents have a 10 foot pole jammed up their asses.” Roper mutters to himself before lighting the cigarette he held between his lips. "Ang may have caught you up to speed on  _ her  _ end, but allow me to catch you up to speed on  _ our _ end. I'm doing this for a reason because you won't otherwise get the full story from her." He took a drag from his cigarette and puffed it out, frowning as he noticed one of his henchmen flirting with a passerby. Roper pulls out a walkie talkie and clicks the button, "We aren't here to play ice cream social with the lass. I don't care how pretty she is, you can romp about later," he puts the device away, "Bloody imbecile. That one always thinks with his pecker and not his brain- Oh sorry I forgot the pole up your ass is only going up deeper." He grins. 

The brunette rolls her eyes and sighs, looking at her nails while she waits for Richard to actually talk. "You know, for how kind and courteous you've been to me, I would at least expect you to offer me a drink by now. Not that I would take it since it would be coming from you. I would like to get back to working out instead of wasting my time with this bullshit about a pole up my ass and your pointless monologue-" 

"That will be quite enough of that sharp tongue from you, missy." Roper casts a glare at her and takes another drag off his cigarette. "Fine." He exhales and turns to face her. "So, Mr. Smithson still seems to be interested in getting you back as far as I can tell. You aren't his top priority though so don't flatter yourself too much. Daniel is the big bad guy," he dramatically gasps, "Surprise! It's not me!" 

"I am aware that Daniel is in charge of all of the existing branches, what’s new about that? Nevermind, please just for the love of- please tell me where Jonathan is.” Katie chews the inside of her cheek, tapping her foot. She doesn’t have the leisure time to be waiting around anymore and is put off by Roper’s willingness to help. It was playing out like the strange dream / nightmare she lived in for two years and she didn’t like it one bit. 

Richard snorts and nods, “It’s disgustingly sweet how much you care about him, I can tell you one thing… I have turned him into something he never used to be. He is my pride and joy! So ruthless and doesn’t hesitate to spill blood. He’s turned into quite the bloodthirsty killer that he has. Anyways, his primary objective right now that I am aware of, is going after that Travis fellow. I can tell you right now they aren’t in the land of the rising sun either. You know what? Since you're so  _ desperate  _ I'll tell you." Roper grins wickedly. "Detroit. Sound familiar? Perhaps a little close to home?" 

Katie's eyes widened at the revelation and she swallowed hard, casting her gaze away from the older man. 

Richard frowned once again, grabbing Katie's chin and tilting it upward so she looked directly at him. "I wasn't done, darling." He releases her face and takes the cigarette out of his mouth, putting it out on the wall. "Good luck trying to get him to come back. Even you won't be reason enough to turn against me. Toodles!" He waves his hand, turning around and signaling his men to follow along. "Bloody Americans and their egos. Think they're all posh bah!" He mumbles to himself as he leaves the establishment. 

A wave of relief washes over the brunette and she sinks to the floor. Richard didn't actually tell her much like he said he would, but all that mattered was she knew where Pine was. "Jonathan." She closes her eyes, resting the back of her head against the cool brick wall. "You saved me countless times, it's my turn to save you." 

"Detroit, huh?" Angela takes a sip of her coffee and eyes Katie. "I've heard things about that city-" she stops and notices the unamused look from the other woman. "Every city has their bad ends. Even this one." She holds her hands up in defeat. 

"Sorry, it's just an old habit of mine. Growing up in Michigan you get a lot of shit like that." Katie pulls a chair in front of the desk and takes her own coffee, sipping it. "Roper told me, by the way." 

A hiss and slam of a hand on a desk cause everyone in the room to jump. Angela growls in frustration as she spilled her hot coffee all over her front upon hearing the name Roper. "That slimy git!! Why is he ALWAYS interfering with our plans!? It's like every time we turn a bloody corner he is right there with a smirk on his ugly mug!" She huffs, getting up and grabbing as many paper towels as possible. "Bastard. That smarmy bastard! What else did he have to say? Hopefully he wasn't too much for you. I know he likes to run his mouth." 

"He basically informed me of everything I already know. He said he had other information but… He never got to that because I was pushy on where Pine is." Katie sighs before nodding, "Yeah he thinks he's hilarious. Claims that all of us here have a 10 foot pole shoved up each of our asses." She snorts. 

The director rolls her eyes, "Of course he does. Anyways, we shouldn't sit around like housewives gossiping about the evil neighbor. I managed to get a flight back to the United States but it was tricky with all these riots and uprisings going about. One thing you will be happy to hear is that the Orange that used to run your country has been convicted of several federal offenses and has been impeached  _ TWICE. _ Serves the prick right." 

This news brought Katie's first genuine smile to her face since she had fallen asleep. "About fucking time!" She laughed, pumping her fist in the air. “Damn, impeached twice… Never has that happened in US history. Well, he was dumb enough to do it. Anyways, I think I’m gonna head back to the flat and pack up for my flight home.” Her tone became a little melancholic. Katie truly didn’t think of the USA as her home anymore. Even in her own world she knew it wasn’t home; there was nothing left for her there. 

“Right, do be careful on the way. You’re all I have for an agent and I can’t lose my best.” Angela nodded and gave her a soft smile as she watched her leave. 

Emptiness… That’s what Katie felt when she walked through the door of their flat. She drops her bag on the floor, turning around and locking the door for the night. “No point in going out where you could possibly be killed around every damn corner.” She mutters to herself and walks over to the kitchen, opening the fridge and getting out leftovers from the night before. Katie ate in painful silence, missing Jonathan’s company desperately. She couldn’t even finish her meal without feeling sick to her stomach. “This is pointless. I can’t keep anything down.” She sighs, throwing the rest of her leftovers away and making her way over to the bedroom that they once shared. The brunette notices one of Jonathan’s shirts laying on the floor and she picks it up, shaking the dust off of it. She places the fabric to her nose and drops to her knees, clutching the shirt tightly. It still smelled like  _ him.  _ “Jonathan please-please come back to us. T-To me.” She weeps, her tears staining the material. No matter what came her way, she would get him back. She had to because he was her home. 

“Tell me where the fucker is or I’ll blow your brains out!!” Pine shouted at one of Travis’s men, pressing a gun hard against his skull. “TELL ME!!” 

“Fuck you! I don’t know nothing about anything-” 

BANG! 

Jonathan growled in annoyance, dropping the body of the man he had just killed. “I didn’t tell anyone to stand around gawking like fucking animals!!” He whips around, blue eyes blazing with fury at his henchmen. “Find me more of his men and bring them here. DO IT NOW YOU USELESS CURS!!” The prominent vein in his forehead bulged from anger. Pine huffs, taking a rag off of a side table and wiping his hands of the blood he had spilled that day. He watches his men file out into the city from their warehouse hideout one by one. Shaking his head, he makes his way back to the planning board room. “Please get me a cigarette and a Jameson’s. I’m gonna need those after another failure.” Pine waves his hand to one of his bodyguards and nods as a thank you when the man leaves immediately. “At least some of you can do your jobs around here.” He mutters to himself and cracks his neck, fixing his stark white blazer. 

“Your items, sir.” The bodyguard hands Pine his lighter, a cigarette box and Jameson’s Irish whiskey on the rocks. 

“Thank you, kindly.” He says to the man before dismissing him. Jonathan may have become more ruthless over the past year or so, but he still had class. His long fingers tap on the planning map beneath him and he pulls a cigarette out, lighting it. Before he can take a drag off his freshly lit cigarette, his phone goes off. He decides to take a hit off the stick before answering the call, “Roper. What can I do for you?” 

“Actually it’s what I can do for  _ you,  _ Mr. Birch.” Richard smugly smiles on the other end. “Having fun in the Motor City? Do tell me if the Casinos are worth the trip if you get the chance to gamble.” 

Jonathan takes another rip and exhales rather harshly, “No. I’m having shit luck over here trying to find the bastard so I don’t think going to a Casino is a wise idea.” He looks down at the floor, flicking some ashes from his cigarette before reaching over and sipping on his whiskey. 

Roper chuckles on the other end of the line, “True. I wouldn’t want to chance anything either with the shit luck. Well, how about I change that attitude of yours with some good news!” 

“And that would be? I’m going to assume you’ve managed to infiltrate another warehouse of Daniel’s, dumb arse is not careful with his security-” 

“She’s awake.” 

Jonathan dropped his glass and his cigarette fell from his lips. “What did you just say?” His voice becomes almost child-like, small. 

“Ms. O’Connor is awake. She woke up about a week or two ago and I was informed yesterday. I’ve been keeping my end of the bargain and making sure she stays safe.” Roper pulls out his own cigarette and lights it. 

Pine looks around, waving his hand to dismiss all of his guards and he settles himself in a chair. “Is-is she well? Healthy?” He licks his lips, waiting for an answer. 

“Very. She’s been training quite a bit from what I’ve been told to build up as much strength as she can. Her hair does seem to be a little longer though but she’s still the same cute lass I saved back in Tokyo. Fiery too. She’s got a sharp tongue.” He frowns at her back talk from earlier. 

For the first time in two years, Jonathan lets out a laugh and shakes his head. It seemed like nothing about Katie had changed much and Jonathan was more than happy to hear it. “Where is she now? Is she safe? Does she still live in that flat?” 

“Yes and yes… As to where she is though, she will be on her way to Detroit tomorrow.” 

Pine’s heart sank. “She’s coming after me. She’s going to try and bring me back, she cannot do that.” He stood up, looking out of a broken window. “I can’t-” Jonathan ran a hand through his dark blonde curls and sighed. “I’ll give you a ring tomorrow.” Pine hangs up and sits back down in the chair, his face in his hands. “Katie… Please don’t do this. I don’t want you to see the person I’ve become.” 


	2. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katie lands in Detroit, but has some unexpected visitors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those reading, how are you liking this so far? I know it's only been like 2 chapters now but I'd love to hear back from you! Thank you guys so much.

Sleep did not come to Katie last night. She tossed and turned as anxiety wracked through her bones. Her thoughts of "what if's" or "why" would not stop bombarding her brain. She spent a good few hours sobbing into the sheets, clutching them tightly and wishing Jonathan was there; it didn't help that they smelled like him. Now exhausted, Katie struggled to get out of the flat and be on her way. She figured she could try to sleep on the plane and hoped there wouldn't be too many passengers, let alone children. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with a restless kid kicking the back of her seat. 

"The mission is simple." Angela walks beside Katie, making sure she doesn't fall over. Earlier, the younger woman informed Angela that she had not gotten a wink of sleep. Being the ever caring mother, Angela bought Katie a coffee in the largest possible size the UK had to offer. She was definitely going to need the caffeine. "Well, it's simple and it's not. We need you to ease Pine back to England and get him out of Roper's claws. By now, he will have plenty of information on what is happening under our noses… But if he isn't willing to come back-" 

"Don't say it, Angela. I am not going to kill him. I don't care how dangerous he is now, I cannot kill Jonathan." Katie snapped, looking at her boss with bloodshot eyes. 

"That is the last thing I want to happen. I understand you don't but if he refuses to come back, if he hurts you and is too far gone… It's the only thing that can be done. However, I believe he can still be persuaded and that is why you are in this case." Angela stopped in front of the luggage drop off, placing her hands in her pockets. "Be sure to contact me as soon as you get something out of him. Pine is probably aware you still work for me but if you can keep that on the low, it'll be more incentive for him to come back." 

Katie gives her boss a nod before taking a deep breath and turning around, making her way to her flight. 

A long seven hours passed by and soon, Katie was back on home turf. “Good old Michigan.” She mutters to herself, stepping off the plane and going to baggage retrieval. As she walked to grab her belongings, Katie couldn’t help but feel watched. She knew that Travis’s goons were everywhere across the state but didn’t think that they’d be aware of her presence. The brunette pulls the hood of her jacket up to create some anonymity as she didn’t want anything to happen. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a man motion his fingers and several other men come forth. Great. As if things couldn’t possibly get any worse, a crack of thunder shook the Airport and caused the power to fizz out. “Oh you have got to be kidding me!” Katie hisses under her breath, walking faster. Obviously she didn’t have any form of defense in terms of weaponry so she had to rely on her agility and luck. 

“Target is getting away. Assuming tactical formation.” One of the men spoke lowly into his communicator. The other men spread out, keeping a distance from Katie but making sure that she had no way to escape. 

There was no time, Katie had to make it or break it. She looked from side to side before taking off into a sprint. Her lungs felt as though they were on fire as she ran, pushing through crowds of people. She was thankful she only brought a small backpack on her journey as anything bigger would slow her down. Her body whipped around as the sound of gunfire and screaming took her out of concentration for a moment. Hands grabbed her and tried to pull her down, “GET THE FUCK OFF ME!!” She swung her head back, breaking one of the men’s noses and managing to slip out of the other’s grip. As soon as she was released, the brunette took off into another sprint and finally made it outside. “Fuck!” She groaned as rain poured down hard. Visibility was going to be limited but she had to run for it. 

“DON’T LET HER GET AWAY!! THE BOSS WANTS HER ALIVE!!” The leader of the squad shouts, pointing at a frantic Katie. 

“Eat shit!!” Katie snatched an umbrella from a stranger, swinging it down on a goon’s head as hard as she could before opening it as a means of distraction. The rain proved difficult to run in, but Katie wasn’t about to be in Travis’s hands. Never again would she be subjected to that abuse or that creep’s touch. Just as she thought she was in the clear, she heard the roar of engines and the screeching of tires headed toward her. “Damn it!!” she shouts, mustering as much strength she had and running the fastest she had ever run. She knew that she couldn’t outrun these cars for long as she could hear them getting closer and closer. The sound of running engines were licking at her heels and gave her no choice but to take a detour. Katie couldn’t tell exactly how far up the ramp she was but took her chances, leaping over the railing and falling 10 feet, landing on her side but rolling on the ground to lessen the impact. She was  _ caked  _ in mud. “Ugh, gross!” She pants, getting up and whining at a sharp pain in her hip. “Cool it’s the same fucking hip that was injured a couple years ago!!” She grits her teeth, limping onwards to the side of the road. The sound of speeding cars causes her to stop and close her eyes. “Can I HAVE A FUCKING BREAK!?” She screams, turning around to face one of the cars and run towards it. 

The driver of the car slams on his breaks as Katie leaps onto the hood, climbing on top of the roof and making an escape behind. “She’s getting away!! Can’t you dumb asses drive any faster?!” The driver yells into the radio. 

“That is why I am coming.” Another voice popped in, sounding displeased. 

“B-Boss!! You didn’t have to- OH COME ON!!” The car is jerked forward as another henchmen crashes into the back end. 

Adrenaline pumps through Katie as she manages to dodge two more cars after her. Never in her life would she have thought she would be chased by fucking Dodge Challengers. She couldn’t blame Travis for his taste in cars though, those were some bad ass vehicles. Katie didn’t even know how long she had been running for but she knew by the end of it, her legs would be jelly. Just one week of training was definitely not enough for her to recuperate faster. Much to her dismay, one other car, in a different model, ripped out from nowhere. “One more, little fox. You got this. Just one more of these bastards and you’re home free!” She gasps for air, readying herself to sprint again. This time, this car didn’t give her any leeway or preparation as the driver hit the gas  _ hard.  _

“Fine.” Katie shrugged her shoulders and turned on her heel, using the same tactic she used with the first car. Her brows scrunched as she noticed the car was an extremely expensive Jaguar. Pushing that thought in the back of her mind, she landed on the hood and went to climb on top but felt a hand grab her ankle. “SHIT!!” She slipped, falling to the ground and tumbling into more sodden grass. The car door opened and a taller man raced toward her, swinging one of his long legs at her face. Katie bent over backwards in time, dodging the kick and landed a somersault. “Let’s go asshole!!” She huffs, trying to feed off the adrenaline she had left. The brunette runs toward the man, sliding under his legs and knocking him down. They begin to wrestle on the ground, Katie giving a hard sucker punch across the man’s face. 

“Argh!” He grabs her by her backpack, which allows her to free herself of the straps. 

“Are you seriously that dumb!?” She front flips forward, spinning herself on her hands and wrapping her legs around the man’s neck, punching him repeatedly until she is thrown onto the hood of the car in a chokehold. Her hands fly up to the man’s wrist and she bares her teeth, trying to struggle out of his grip. 

“Knock it off.” The man pulls his hood and mask down, panting heavily and releasing Katie’s neck. 

The young woman becomes limp, her green eyes wide as Jonathan Pine stands before her. “J-Jonathan..” She pulls her hood down, not caring if the rain soaked her as she was already cladden in mud to begin with. 

Pine turns around, sighing and rubbing his face where she hit him. She certainly knew how to throw punches. “You shouldn’t be here.” He speaks, raising his hand as he hears his men approaching. “Stand down, I’ve got her.” He speaks into a walkie talkie. 

“And why shouldn’t I be here, Pine?” Katie licks her lips, “I’ve been asleep for two goddamn years only to wake up, see the world is in shambles and find out that you’re buddies with Roper!!” She hoists her sore body off the hood of the car and wipes her nose of blood. “I came here because you told me to. Don’t you remember?” 

A growl ripped from Jonathan as he turned sharply, grabbing Katie by her throat again and staring into her eyes. “We both know why you’re here and it isn’t because of something I said two bloody years ago!! I am not returning to Angela Burr’s agency. I didn't even want to see you!” He shoves her back. That was entirely a lie as he was more than happy to see her, thankful that she still drew breath. He took her in, noticing that her hair did indeed grow a little longer as she had it in two low pigtails. She was still as beautiful to him as the day he met her which gave him all the more reason to push her away. “I am going to do you one favor, Katelyn.” He points a finger in her face and narrows his eyes, “I am sending you back to England. I am not the same man I was and I never will be.” His nostrils flared. 

Katie looked him up and down, shaking her head, “I’m not going anywhere, Jonathan. Not without you.” 

“You can and you  _ will. _ ” Pine snarls, grabbing her by the front of her jacket. “I never want to see your pathetic face ever again. You are dead to me.” He shoves her to the ground and turns his back on her. “Take this corpse to the airport and out of my sight before I throw up.” The words he speaks hurt him beyond imagination but this was all to protect her. This was all for her to go on and live a normal life. As long as she was safe and away from him, a monster, then that was enough for him. 

Tears fell down Katie’s cheeks and she stood up, “You can call me whatever you want but I still love you Jonathan Pine!” She was supposed to be on the low, but how could she when the man she so desperately loved was right there. “I-I lived in a dream-a dream of you and I. We were going to be p-parents and-” 

“That’s all you’ve ever lived in! Dreams!” Jonathan turned back around, his brows knit together. “You have always thought that this entire job was something out of a romance novel!! You had to find out the hard way and were in comatose for two fucking years!! I don’t care what sort of silly life you and I lived in your dream world. I don’t want anything to do with you!!” He yells, walking up to her and hitting her across the face. “What the fuck do I have to do to prove that I don’t love you and I never did!!” He holds her by the front of her jacket, punching her in the face repeatedly until her nose broke and lip bust. Each whimper and scream he elicited from her, each hit upon her pretty face, each passing moment killed him inside. “Fine!” He throws her to the ground again and stomps away to his car. “Live here and get killed!! It will be better when you’re finally dead!” He enters his car, slamming the door shut and hitting the gas, tears running down his sharp cheeks. 

“Jonathan…” Katie wheezes, laying in the muddy field and unmoving. So she was wrong, he didn’t love her after all and she was no more than a nuisance to him- just like she was to everyone else and always has been. Katie was on her own now and only had one option left: to kill Jonathan Pine. “I can’t… I can’t kill him.” She moans, curling up into a fetal position and sobbing into her hands. No matter how hard he hit her, no matter how much he lied, Katie still loved him with all of her heart and was determined not to give up on him. With a groan, she pushes her sore body up and wipes the blood from her face. Katie walks over to her backpack, picking it up and slinging it over her stiff shoulders, "Guess I'm hitchhiking." She sniffles painfully, making her way to the side of the road and holding her thumb out. 

In a bar downtown sat a group of men, some of them chasing down drinks and others chatting amongst themselves. "There was a scuffle down at the airport today." One of them spoke. 

"Yeah? And what was it about?" Another man answered, taking a swig of his bourbon. "Something interesting I hope." His tone became slightly unnerving. 

"B-But of course boss. Pine's gang was spotted trying to kidnap a young woman. I didn't get a good look of her but she looks like your ex-" 

Travis slams down his drink, causing other patrons to turn their attention to the gang leader. The man stands up, looking at the onlookers. "The hell you staring at? Mind your fucking business or I'll make you!" He pulls a gun out of his waistband, quickly changing the mood. Once Travis sees the patrons turn around he sits back down and looks at his henchman. "So little Katie ain't dead?" He grabs a toothpick, chewing on it. "That is, if it's even her. I thought the boys finished the bitch off." He snorted, picking at his teeth. 

"It seems possible that she may have survived." The other man spoke. 

Travis pointed to him and nodded, "Guess good old Zac got sloppy and fucked up. I'd like to find out if she's actually alive now." He sits up from his seat and begins to walk out, leering at the bartender. "If she is, then I'll be the one to put a bullet through her fuckin' skull. Not that she is my absolute priority. Nah. Start loading up the trucks tonight and get ready to go to Lansing. We have a Governor to terrorize." He grins, walking out into the rain and into the streets. 

"FUCK ALL!!" Pine whips his half empty glass at the wall, tears staining his face. He sinks to the floor, sobbing angrily at what he did to Katie earlier. He wished he could have taken her with him, wished that he could tell her how badly he missed her, how much he loved her and how sorry he was for leaving. He couldn’t though, they lived completely different lives now and she would only end up dead. If only he had forced her to get on that god forsaken plane back to England… She would at least be more safe there, well, to a degree. Looking at his hands, he takes in the sight of her blood staining his knuckles. “Kate-” He choked out, clasping his hands together and continuing to sob. It might as well be the situation with Sophie all over again except with Pine being the murderer and Katie being Sophie. He feels his stomach lurch and quickly makes his way to a trash bin, throwing up whatever contents he had previously ingested. The burn of the alcohol only added to his miserable state as his throat closed up, causing him to gag more. 

“Sir!” One of his bodyguards rushes in upon hearing Pine choking. He pulls Jonathan away from the trash bin and yanks him to his feet. The bodyguard leads Jonathan over to a more comfortable place to sit and grabs a water bottle that was thankfully nearby. “Drink this. Slowly.” 

Pine nods, taking the water and sipping on it. The cool flow of the liquid soothes his aching throat, extinguishing the flames that his stomach had brought on. “Thank you, Connor.” He takes a deep breath in, sniffling and wiping his face on his sleeve. 

The bodyguard, Connor, nods and gives Jonathan’s back a pat. “I gotta look out for my boss. He helps keep food on the table for my family, it’s the least I can do.” The brunette man flashes a sheepish smile. Connor Christensen had joined Pine’s fleet a little over a year ago as he had nowhere else to turn to. He was starving and fighting for his life, bringing as much as he could to his wife and unborn child. Connor would die before letting his family starve. One day, he had been ambushed by other ravenous, violent, desperate criminals. Jonathan happened to be scouting the city and saw Connor fight off around ten of these people by his fist alone. Impressed, he offered the starving man a new chance at life under his service. Connor never thought he would ever work for someone as wicked as Pine, but nonetheless he took that chance. The bodyguard always knew that Jonathan wasn’t as bad as he seemed as he still had a heart and looked after his men. He wasn’t anything like his mentor, Richard Roper. Still, Connor saw that Pine held a haunting look in those piercing blue eyes that kept him from losing himself completely. “You regret what you did to her.” He stated as a matter of fact, knowing what had been bothering his boss. 

Jonathan nods, sniffling again and taking a deep breath. “I can’t just let her back in. She will only be putting herself in more danger if I took her with us.” He takes another sip of water. Pine snorts to himself and shakes his head, “She’s still as fiery as ever. Bull headed and stubborn. That’s what got her into trouble and that mouth of hers. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone quite as passionate as her and oh, her love is something of a dream. I don’t deserve her.” He can feel a new onslaught of tears beginning to burn his eyes. The crime lord was never one to express his emotions out to anyone but those he trusted. He had learned to hide behind a hardened mask, never once letting it crack or fall. 

“If I may, sir, I think everyone deserves someone like Miss O’Connor, you included. I think you’ve suffered long enough. Now this is just my opinion, but when all of this is over, I think you should chase after her and get her back. Run away with her and leave this life behind, you are good at it but this life isn’t meant for you. That’s all I have to say about that.” Connor gives another pat to Jonathan’s back and smiles. 

Pine returns the smile, taking comfort in his friend’s words and agreeing with him internally. He couldn’t outright say that is what he wanted to do because he still had his doubts. “Thank you. I appreciate your thoughts- How is your wife and little girl?” Pine changes the subject, raising a brow. 

“Oh she is a little rascal she is! Growing bigger and bigger every day. Rose is starting to walk now too, it’s so cute how she waddles around on those little legs. Madison tries to record every moment of-” Connor stops as a scout bursts into the planning room. 

“Boss! Travis’s men have been spotted near by loading a truck full of explosives!” 

Jonathan rose to his feet, his face turning hard again and expression dark, “Get us ready then. I know exactly what he’s doing and this is my chance to put a bullet through the fuckers skull once and for all.” 


	3. No Man's Land

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonathan can't let Katie out of his life so fast.

_ “Seven Action News on the site live now. Yesterday at 10 PM, explosions were heard near the capitol forcing delegates to evacuate from the building. There have been two reported deaths thus far and the authorities are in pursuit of the terrorist group that attacked the state capitol building: Bloodroot.” _ The reporter presses on her earpiece and looks behind herself, then back at the camera.  _ “Shut that thing off and run!! We are under-” _ The live recording goes blank. 

Clicking his tongue, Travis turns the television off and grins to himself. “Hope they have that dumb governor alive still. We need the bitch as a hostage.” He stands up from his seat and grabs a pack of cigarettes, pulling a stick out. The brunette man cracks his neck, walking down the hallway of his private estate and entering an elevator. While he descends to the lower floors of his large home, Travis pulls his phone out and checks the cameras he has placed in specific, and important, locations. His black eyes flicker over to a notification at Katie’s childhood home as something triggered the tripline. “Nah, her folks ain’t back yet.” He steps out of the elevator and puts his phone away to light his cigarette. Despite his current knowledge of Katie finally being awake, he always kept tabs on her parents in case he needed “back up money”. He knew that her father had collected a large sum of money and put it away for inheritance. 

“Boss, someone’s inside the Metamora house.” One of Travis’s men points out, nodding his head to grab his attention. 

“I need to upgrade my damn phone so I can access the cameras inside too.” Travis mutters, blowing smoke from his nose and walking over to see who was intruding. His thick eyebrows rose out of surprise, “I didn’t actually think she’d go back.” He grinned, taking another drag off his cigarette as he watched Katie walking throughout the house. “Good to know little Katie is awake. Though, I think she still may be a bit sleepy… We should wake her up. That’s if those dumb asses managed to do their job over in Lansing.” His grin vanishes as he then walks over to another grouping of cameras. Travis leans over one of the operators and presses a button to activate the radio the mission leader carried. “Everything going all good boys? Or do I need to come over there and clean up your mess?” 

The leader of the mission, Casey, picked up the radio and pitched in “We’ve got the governor and are heading back with a few other delegates that could be useful. Other than that, no issues over- Alrighty then, I spoke too soon.” 

“What do you mean by that? Don’t tell me you’re letting those pigs trample all over you.” Travis takes a sharp inhale off the stick. 

“It’s not the pigs. Ah shit, it’s Pine and his crew. Good thing you ain’t here else you’d make a bloodbath-” 

“Enough with the fucking small talk, Casey! Make sure that they don’t get the hostages and put a bullet in Pine’s skull if you can!” Travis releases the button and crushes his cigarette in his hand, ignoring the burn. “How does he know!?” he shouts across the room, gaining everyone’s attention. “How does Pine know of our operative!? If one of you is a double agent, you better fess up now unless you want a slow, painful death!!” Travis slams his fist down on one of the computers, breaking it. The room became silent with his sudden outburst. “Guess we have to do this the hard way then. Everyone upstairs and out on the deck!!” He turns around to the operatives watching the larger monitors, “Not you three though. I know you haven’t done shit. Everyone else is guilty until proven otherwise!!” Travis pulls his gun out, firing three warning shots into the ceiling. He watches as the rest of the room scrambles out, grinning at the terror in some of their eyes. "That's what I fucking thought." He puts his gun back in it's holster before leaning over the control board, pressing the same red button. "Send out Eric and Zachariah to target the fox hole. A little vixen is currently home in the den." 

One of Pine’s men presses on his earpiece, turning around and nodding back at his partner who was in the distance with a sniper rifle. Thankfully, the double agent made it out in time before he was called forth and accused. 

The marksman had his weapon aimed to where Travis would be standing once he got out of his house. He waited for the other man’s signal when to fire and hopefully take Travis Smithson, leader of Bloodroot, out once and for all. 

The signaller listens in on the second piece of information he had managed to intercept. “This might be important to the boss-” He presses his earpiece again and turns his body to face the gunner, “Send coordinates back to base and alert the boss of this new location. I have no idea where this leads but it sounds crucial and could be a new operative warehouse.” He turns back around, heart sinking as he notices Travis looking directly at him. The agent presses his earpiece, “SEND THE INFORMATION NOW AND TAKE THE SHOT-” 

**_BANG!!_ **

“Too late, friend.” Travis grins as he turns around to his very own sniper. “Take out the other one while you’re at it. Let them come and play with us, it’ll be fun! Little Katie’s life will be the determining factor over who wins.” 

“Sir, why are you so concerned with one girl’s life? Shouldn’t we be focused on taking out Pine and getting back in touch with Daniel?” One of Travis’s operatives asks boldly. 

Turning around, the leader of Bloodroot clicks his tongue and nods, firing his gun into the skull of the imbecile to question his sense of direction. “I didn’t like him anyways. Too sharp-tongued.” He mutters and waves his hand to signal a clean up of both the double agent and former ally. “If anyone WOULD like to know so they don’t question how I run things and end up like this poor bastard, raise your hand.” His black eyes scanned the operatives who simultaneously rose their hands all at once. “Good, the class knows how to listen after all!” Travis claps his hands together and grins, “So I don’t give a shit about the girl. I could care less if she dies. All she is to me is something to pass the time while I await my next instructions from our big boss… And to mess with Pine, make him uneasy, agitated, pissed off, the works. Sure I used to rape her brains out back in the day, but she’s just nothing more than a chew toy now. She’s ol’ Jonny boy’s greatest weakness and one of the ways we can take him out easier.” 

Jonathan sat in the meeting room whilst in thought. It had only been a day since his encounter with Katie but the fact he  _ hurt  _ her did not make the time pass by any faster. He runs a hand through his hair and growls softly to himself, becoming irritated by his own intrusive emotional, mundane thoughts. “I cannot bring her here.” He gets up from his seat and walks over to the window of his hideout, looking down into the city of Detroit. The sight of people killing each other to survive, women being taken away with no one to help, children being murdered or worse- It made him feel sick and even more repulsed with himself that he was a part that caused this global downfall. “I cannot let her live in this.” He restates what he had previously just said. His mind was at a constant battle of what to do with Katie now that she was here and awake. On one hand, bringing her in would give Pine a sense of security and comfort. She would be safe under his protection and he could try to rekindle what they had. The other hand was that she would be a target by all of his enemies once they found out who she was to Jonathan. She would also beg him to come back with her to England, back home. She would be in more danger than she had previously been in. 

“Sir- Coordinates to Metamora have been transferred over to us by Phillips… Unfortunately he and Grant have been discovered.” An agent came in, interrupting Pine of his thoughts. 

“Metamora?” Jonathan’s tone became concerned and his nostrils flared. That bastard Travis was toying with him and Pine knew that the coordinates did not lead to a new warehouse, but Katie’s home. “Continue the pursuit of the governor. Make sure that you bring her and the other delegates here and into hall C. We will be questioning them later.” Jonathan began to walk fast, ignoring the agents' why's and but’s. It appeared that Travis had made the decision quite obvious for him on what he would do about Katie. Jonathan would just have to take the chance and bring her back, he could not just sit by and allow her to die. Her death would be his greatest failure of all. 

_ "I never loved you and I never will!!" Pine shouted at Katie, anger and irritation apparent. The brunette couldn't help but feel her heart shatter into a million pieces. She loved this man with every fiber of her being and now, now what was she to do?  _

Katie sniffles, wiping her tears and waiting for her frozen dinner to heat up in the microwave. She hadn't intended to come back to her childhood home, but there wasn't any other place she could go. Not to mention she had scraped up enough money for a trip to Urgent Care and then back here. "You need to call Angela and tell her you're done." She says to herself and sighs. "Get a normal job and live out the rest of my days carefree and simple." She pulls her food out as soon as the microwave beeps. Though her parents weren't home, Katie knew they wouldn't mind if she showed up even though they didn't even bother to check in on her while she was in comatose. The brunette sneers at the thought and huffs out of disgust that they had the audacity to show even an ounce of concern. "Some parents I have." She rolls her eyes, sitting down on the couch in the living room and beginning to eat by herself. As she ate, Katie battled with her own thoughts on if she really should call Angela and call it quits. Then again, if she did that she wouldn't have a job, and with the state of the world right now it was unlikely for her to get one. "Urgh!" She throws her half eaten dinner onto the coffee table and sinks her hands into her hair. It did get a bit too long for her liking now that she thought about it. Katie gets up and makes her way upstairs to her bathroom. "Might as well shower while I'm at it." She mutters, grabbing a fresh set of clothes and washing items and a pair of scissors. As her fingers touch the cool blade, a shudder runs down her spine at the memory of her other usage of scissors. She pushes that thought away as she was not with Travis anymore. 

After about a half hour carefully snipping her hair, Katie deemed her job as good enough and hopped in the shower. A loud thud catches her attention for a moment while she washes herself but dismisses it as squirrels on the roof. This was a heavily wooded area and it was common for squirrels to fight on the roof. Getting out and feeling slightly better, Katie dries her hair and throws on a long sleeve top and some boy shorts to bum around in. She was surprised most of her old clothes still fit. “I wonder if I still have my prom dress…” She sifts through her closet and finds a large bagged item. “This has gotta be it.” She pulls the heavy dress out, her heart sinking a little as she notices the color of it is red. “Please don’t be similar to  _ that  _ dress.” She breathes, removing the cover. Much to her dismay, it does resemble the dress she wore in Russia. Tears began to sting her eyes the more she looked at it, her heart aching for a chance to dance with Jonathan again. Aside from the terrible events that played out that night, Katie wouldn’t lie to herself and say she hated dancing with Pine. The way he held her and looked into her eyes had her in a sort of trance and she remembered how he touched her face as they leaned into kiss- 

BOOM!! 

“What the hell was that?!” She runs to the window and looks out, scanning the front yard and seeing nothing. “Probably a dead tree. I need to stop psyching myself out.” She shoves the dress back into her closet, no longer wanting to think about that night in Russia. Her heart was still trying to mend itself from Jonathan’s words he said to her just last night and memories like that only made the pain worse. She smacks her cheeks and shakes her head, “Come on little fox, get it together- How did I end up in Cam’s room?” She lowers her hands slowly and looks around the tidy, empty room. It wasn’t empty per-say, but without Cameron it sure did feel empty. Katie chuckles at herself and nods, remembering that when she used to get scared that she would run to big brother’s room. “Old habits never die, huh?” Her fingers gently caress the blanket on his bed and a sad, wistful smile touches her lips. 

When she looks forward, she notices a picture of him and a younger Jonathan Pine framed on his bookshelf. “Why?” She sobs, her tears refusing to be held back this time. “Why do you follow me everywhere I go? You hate me!” Katie grabs the picture, wanting to take the paper out and rip Pine up. Instead she holds it close to her heart and crumbles to the floor in a heap, weeping. No matter how much he supposedly hated her; she could not hate him in return. “I’m gonna bring you back, I promise. I don’t care how much you detest it.” Katie takes the picture out of the frame, folding it and shoving it in her bra. “Sorry, Cam. I want this-” 

BOOM!!

Again with the trees… Or at least she thinks it’s trees. Katie runs over to the window, her eyes scanning the backyard and catches a glint of light from the back trail. “What the hell?” She wipes her eyes, backing away. The revving of an engine roars loudly from outside forcing her to turn around and jump down the stairs. Just as she did so, the front door burst open with two men pointing guns in her face and another two men breaking in the back. 

“Come with us quietly.” One of the men holds their hand out, trying to be civil and let her grab his hand. 

“Like hell I am!” She front flips forward, bringing her foot down on the mysterious man before grappling his partner and pulling him backward out the door. Katie shoves the man and growls out of frustration as she has to run  _ again.  _ Arms wrap around her midsection and a cloth is pressed to her nose and mouth but she manages to knock the back of her head into her attacker and take out the legs of his accomplice. “Sh-Shit.” She pants, the drug that she inhaled making her mind spin. The only thing she could do now was run as fast as she could into the woods and hope that she wouldn’t cut her feet up too bad. As she began to run, she heard sounds of gunfire and yelling behind her. She hoped that those goons were tied up in their little game to give her time to get the hell out of dodge. Katie was silently thanking Cameron for teaching her how to blend into foliage and use the woods to her advantage. She slid down a steep hill, using the roots of trees as a brake system. 

“KILL HER!!” 

Katie looks up to see the two men who entered from the back hot on her trail. “Oh no you don’t!!” she musters as much strength as she can to yank on one of the roots she held onto to create some sort of landslide. She takes a leap of faith, snatching a root on the hill and hearing the damn thing snap. “NO!!” The brunette tumbles down the slope, landing hard against the ground and rolling to a cliff. “Rrrgh!!” her nails dig into the crumbling ground she clings to, trying to pull herself back up. 

“Finally, I have you right where I want you.” One of the men finally caught up with her, stomping his foot down on her left hand. 

“You too, fuck face!” Katie screams, leaping up as best as she could and grabbing the man’s leg, pulling him down with her and falling 20 feet to the bottom of a ravine. The brunette uses the man as a cushion to her fall and slams on her side once hitting the bottom. When she gets up, she can see that the impact of them together killed him. “One less son of a bitch to deal with.” She gasps, carrying onward and hiding under the rocky structure. Katie had completely forgotten just how “woodsy” this place was from what she could remember. She kept an eye out for anything that looked suspicious as she followed a small creek headed south. “I should be ok now-” 

Click. 

Katie stops in her tracks as she hears a gun cock behind her. “I’m so tired of running.” She whispers, closing her eyes and turning around. Green eyes are met with cold black eyes and immediate terror shudders down her spine, her legs turning to jello. “Not you. Anyone but you.” 

Travis grins, shoving the barrel of the gun against her temple. “Look at you, so meek and helpless. I almost feel bad for you, little Katie. Almost.” He shoves the gun against her head harder. “Just one look at you and I can make you fall to your knees. Pathetic.” 

“If you’re going to kill me then just do it!” She cries out, shutting her eyes tightly. 

The brunette man only laughs at her and pistol whips her, watching her squeal from the pain and hold her head. “That would be too easy. I plan to have one last taste of you before I-” 

Click. 

Another cocking of a gun is heard and Travis kicks Katie so she is half lying in the creek between him and this newcomer. “I was wondering when you’d show up.” he grins. 

“Not another word, Travis. Step away from her and take it somewhere else.” Pine pants, having just ran from his car through the woods. He had tracked the Bloodroot leader down by his cell phone signal. “I said step away from her!” Jonathan snarls. 

“You think I’m gonna fucking listen to you? I thought you hated little Katie.” Travis tilts his head and grins, “One of my boys heard the entire thing the other night. If you hated her so much you wouldn’t even be here, but she is your weakness. She is the reason you want to kill me and neither of us can touch her until one of us is dead.” Travis licked his lips, holding his gun up to Pine. 

Jonathan clenches his jaw at his words and curses himself inwardly. Travis and his yet burning feelings for Katie is what brought him here. His blue eyes glance down at Katie who is delirious and trying to get up. “Katie, stay there.” Jonathan raises his gun back up, watching Travis carefully. 

“Jonathan-” Katie whimpers, her head still spinning and throbbing with pain. She wanted to go to him, reach out and be in his arms where she felt the safest. Her hand drops into the icy creek and searches for a sharp rock. Despite her current condition, she wasn’t about to sit by and allow Travis to kill her beloved Pine. 

“What’s it gonna be, old man? You or me? Maybe you and Katie.” Travis took a step closer, finger on the trigger and ready to pull. 

“You.” 

Both men turned their attention to Katie who mustered all the strength she had left and pulled Travis down into the cold water, stabbing the sharpest rock she could find into his face and holding him underwater. She stabbed as hard as she could, beating Travis’s face into oblivion and trying to drown him. 

Travis grabbed Katie by her neck and switched their positions, holding her down underwater like his henchmen did in Japan. 

“NO!” Jonathan grapples Travis, tumbling with him on the forest floor until the sound of a gun goes off and the both of them still. 

Katie bursts up from the water with a gasp, coughing hard and seeing both of them lying motionless. “No- No! No! No!” she crawls out, shivering and teeth chattering. “Jonathan.” She grabs Travis’s lifeless body, shoving it aside and placing a bloodied hand on Pine’s now bearded face. “Jonathan! Jonathan please wake up! Please wake up!!” She cries, shaking him. He still won’t move, but there is not any blood coming from him. “Jonathan please wake up!” She crumples on top of him, sobbing and not caring how bad her head hurt. “I need you! I won’t make you go back, please just wake up!!” She presses her forehead to his, her fingers tangled in his longer wavy locks and tears dripping onto his face. 

“FREEZE!! DO NOT MOVE!!” A males voice shouts. “Get medical here.” He says into his ear piece and walks toward the two, boots crunching the foliage beneath. 

A warmth beneath Katie’s abdomen startles her and she finally notices blood seeping through his shirt. “Please!! Please help him!! Please!!” Katie is frantic to stop the bleeding. When she looks up, she is met with hazel eyes. 

Connor takes in Katie’s appearance from her large green eyes, short brown hair and smaller frame. What was most notable however, was the way she pleaded with him to help Jonathan and how she looked at him with all the love in the world. “You- You’re Katie O’Connor?” 

The brunette nods and looks back down at Jonathan, her hands over his wound. “Please help him. Please help Jonathan.” 

“That’s what I’m here for, miss-” Connor sees more of his comrades bustle by, grabbing Pine and quickly hauling him out of the woods. He watched the way Katie’s eyes followed the men carrying Jonathan out of the forest, one of worry. “He will be ok.” The agent holds his hand out to her, “I’m Connor by the way. It’s nice to finally meet you- even if we got off on the wrong foot.” He chuckles softly. 

Katie turns her attention to the younger man and looks at his hand. His voice did sound familiar now that he mentioned it. Slowly, she reaches up and takes his hand. “Thank you, Connor.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YESSS!!! FINALLY HE IS DEAD! I planned to kill him off early anyways so we can focus on that good shit (tm) And yes! Jonathan Pine has the "Professor Hiddleston" hair and beard look. I'm still trying to figure out when to put smut in- Because I plan to make this smuttier than it's predecessor.


End file.
